Patriotism by NFL players should be earned, not forced, not expected

The debate over whether any NFL football player should he allowed to take a knee during the singing of our national anthem is rife with passion and outrage. Why should these players — who sometimes make millions of dollars — disrespect our flag and national anthem? Shouldn’t they be held accountable?

Maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong angle.

When I was young, I was so excited to see the a president, Ronald Reagan, inspire the nation around the idea of a strong country that defended the weak. In the 1980s our nation found itself in a world that was struggling for its own identity — and gave us the opportunity to not only be a superpower, but the superpower.

The Soviet Union was beginning to unravel. Our greatest enemy, communism, was tearing apart at the seams. Our country was the greatest place to be. We reached the stars with the space shuttle, and we reached each other with compassion.

Yes, I know. It’s a simplistic point of view. But I was 10. What else would I have known? It was pure inspiration on my part.

My bedroom was patriotic to the core. It had patriotic wallpaper, patriotic displays and patriotic furniture. Imagine it: Blue bedsheets, furniture painted red, and a flag on the wall made from a latch-hook set I got for a birthday. No one, and I mean no one, could have dared to question my patriotism at the time.

It wasn’t even forced. I loved being an American kid. I loved baseball (even though I was probably the worst player in any time zone). I loved our Olympic team (Mitch Gaylord was probably my first crush). Everything about my country was enough to put a smile on my face, from sea to shining sea.

Imagine if the tween version of myself saw the future of 2017. A president that calls a man a “son of a b----" for kneeling during the anthem. … Wait, what? He took a knee? Why isn’t he patriotic? Why isn’t he standing with pride in his nation with his hand over his heart? That’s just wrong!

It’s enough to shake us to our bones: the very idea that someone could have such shame in our nation that he cannot stand for our national anthem.

Or at least it should be. Instead, we get outraged. We gripe about it all over (anti)social media. We get a president that calls for him to be fired.

But too few dare to ask the most relevant question of all: Why is this man — and those who kneel with him — not inspired by our nation’s greatness? What compels him to take a knee? And, most importantly, what can we do as a nation that will bring everyone to their feet again?

Here’s the point. Patriotism is inspired. It’s a thing that is earned by a government and never compelled. The moment we demand patriotism is the moment our freedom becomes tyranny.

The reality is that millions of Americans — who love her deeply — are disturbed by what they see, and they speak out in a quiet but effective way.

The longer we refuse to listen to them, the longer it will take for us to find a way to inspire our entire nation to the greatness she deserves.

Let’s be a country that inspires us all to greatness and genuine patriotism, not a nation that bullies its own stars into compliance for the sake of a flag.

After all, freedom is liberating, never compulsory. We would do well to remember that.

David Shelton is a Clarksville small-business owner, writer and activist.

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